GCA launches new Rising Star programme for catering staff. Following the on-going success of the Garden Centre Association’s Rising Stars initiative a new programme aimed at garden centre catering staff has been launched, and the programme will be facilitated by Chris Brown.
http://tgcmc.newsweaver.co.uk/gtnxtra/sr9xjk4ghtu?a=2&p=52950069&t=28392885

I took to the streets of Manchester on foot with a client on a cold wet Monday with a clear vision and purpose: to seek the latest coffee innovations, north of the border, and what a delight to behold. An unexpected melting pot of coffee connoisseurs, blade grinders, tampa teasing, barista art and the delivery of a whole lot of crema (with cherries) on top - a truly wonderful inspiration to the most discerning of beard-twirling barista!

AUTUMN BUDGET 2017: Everything you wanted to know about the budget but are too afraid to ask …The Chancellor yesterday presented his Budget to Parliament – here's a summary of what was announced with 12 key caterer considerations (worth thinking about) so you/your catering team are better prepared for forecasting for the year ahead.

With UK inflation hitting a 5-year high of 3%, according to the Office for National Statistics, the squeeze on foodservices intensifies. Whilst this may sound rather alarming, it’s not the end of the world. These 10 cost saving initiatives could help your chefs spend your money wiser, alternatively contact us NOW if you want us to spend a day with your chef on a bespoke cost saving plan?

August’s hot topic is "sales-mix" and, having worked with a client recently and discussed its significance, it occurred to me that it would be in the interests of all Facilities Managers to share my best practice approach. With your chefs and managers involved, they’ll be better prepared to combat today's sharp increases in food & beverage costs.

July’s hot topic is food waste and one simple, under-rated, effective way a facilities manager can improve sustainability and make cost savings is to get wise about their catering-generated food waste. But FIRST check out what’s highly likely to be happening in your kitchen by watching this video https://youtu.be/jkgThn4qjQw and THEN get your caterer to create a KPI checklist from my newsletter.

Spent a fascinating day with a client last week looking at the best in class catering in conference spaces, co-working environments and cafes. We used our knowledge of Shoreditch and the City to good use!

We attended the CUBO Summer Conference last week at the University of Kent. A very well organised conference, and we sponsored the bar on the first evening, which proved to be popular! We partnered with Catherine Anderson from Anderson Power Consulting with whom we have worked with on a number of projects, and her skills are in the FM area are very complimentary to ours!

Trying to understand your client’s point of view is not easy because people aren’t always easy to figure out. This month, I’m sharing the common themes of the Facilities Managers I’ve worked with and 5 consistently reported challenges.

An interesting debate about the value of using independent kitchen designers at the commercial Kitchen Show; we work with Roz Burgess from Intelligent Catering http://www.fcsi.org/foodservice-consultant/eame/commercial-kitchen-show-hosts-consultants-debate/

In this second article for the AIM Bulletin Turpin Smale Catering Consultants’Charles Manners looks at what has changed on food and menus over the past few years and what Museums should be focussing on:

This March, in an unusual turn of events, staff sustainability became a hot topic when a Facilities Manager asked me about the impact of stress, workload and diet on mental wellbeing, sickness & reduced productivity…

Nearly seven years ago Chris Brown of TurpinSmale Catering Consultants contributed articles in the AIM Bulletin for museum café operators. The world of catering has changed, and the company’s Charles Manners is taking a look at what museums should be aware of today

2016 has seen the food map evolve, with ‘superfoods’ firmly cemented in the
consumer’s repertoire. Forecasting what will happen in 2017 is always interesting, and these
are our thoughts as we go into the new year.

I recently attended the 2016 ASAO (county shows; as we have a number of clients in the sector) conference which was held at the Imperial Hotel in Torquay. The Countess of Wessex who is patron of the ASAO was there for the day and was actively involved, she is a great supporter.

We are delighted that Tracey Fairclough has joined us as a Director, to compliment and add to the core team' specialist knowledge. Tracey is a Business & Industry (B&I) contract catering specialist, well versed in café, restaurant, deli, fine dining, hospitality & CPU contracts, management and benchmarking.

I attended the Food Service Cateys on Friday night 14th October at the Plaza Hotel in London, it was an excellent evening seeing many friends and catching up on all the industry news and to see the results of our judging!

This Autumn I find myself with two projects focussing once again on small hotels with restaurants, with two sites; firstly near Christchurch in Dorset and secondly the Clive Arms @ Bromfield near Ludlow, part of the Ludlow Food Centre.

This month, 28 amateur cyclists took part in an epic cycling adventure across the UK and Europe, raising thousands of pounds for the Northampton Hope Centre (a homeless charity) in the process. Organised by Pidy UK, the 2016 event is the third consecutive year in which cyclists have taken on the challenge in aid of fundraising for the homeless charity which I support as a board member. I followed in a support vehicle on the European leg, enjoying the cafes and scenery and supporting my wife who was cycling!

As an Essex boy, I am delighted that the county is becoming known for its food, rather than the dubious reputation it once had! Whilst we have always had great producers and produce, think Mersea Oysters and Tiptree Jam, Essex can now claim two great dining locations. Last year saw the opening of The Flitch of Bacon, near Gt Dunmow, with Daniel Clifford at the helm and in the autumn Chris and Jeff Galvin are opening a pub restaurant in Howe Street near Chelmsford.

The EP events are always thought provoking, and an opportunity to hear other view from with in the industry, the key themes coming out from the morning are below, and we see these coming up in conversations with many clients:

Over the past few years we have seen continuous changes on the high street, which directly influence university catering offers setting students and staff expectations. The key trend we see as catering consultants driving this change is the consumer’s interest in self health and a willingness to experiment, and pay higher prices for premium, authentic and artisan products. Though this trend is not new, what is now firmly established is how the consumer needs are being addressed by the high street operators.
This is an article that has appeared in June's University Business

A visit to Caffe Culture held at Olympia yesterday was the opportunity to see both new and existing suppliers. As ever the exhibition was well attended and speaking to the exhibitors they were all pleased with the response from visitors.

The coffee shop market continues to grow at a rapid pace, and whist the casual dining market is coming under the spotlight for potential over-capacity the coffee shop market according to Allegra’s World Coffee Portal latest data shows that there are estimated to be 20,728 outlets in the UK, with sales growing at 10% on last year

Attended the 2015 annual ASAO conference in Norwich which is the county show organisation that represents day county shows. This year there was limited focus on catering, however we sponsored as a Catering Consultancy a tea break and remain committed to the sector.

Foodservice operators and their high-street counterparts are continuing to trade territories, with the former seeking exposure and the latter wanting more predictable revenues.
Catering Consultant Ian Doughty highlights this trend, in the latest edition of The Vision, from EP Business in Hospitality

Grand Central in Birmingham opened at the end of September and if you have not been through New Street Station for a while you will be amazed, or at least I was! Admittedly £750m helps, but what a transformation, and will really help the UK's second city create a proper 21st century sense of arrival for the daily 170000 visitors. For a catering consultant and watcher of food trends and concepts this is a dream, all under one roof!

A 'catering consultants' week in North Cornwall on a family holiday staying near Polzeath, struck me this time, partly because I was there for a week and not just a passing weekend was the quality and range of the food and hospitality now on offer.

The importance of ambiance in cafes is much underestimated especially in the garden centre market. Catering Consultant Chris Brown writes in the 2016 Garden & Hardware Yearbook of how you can improve this important area.

Catering Consultant Chris Brown presented a session entitled 'Pop-up, Profit & Pitfalls - Catering for that Special Event' at the Association of Cultural Enterprises' annual conference in Bournemouth. Whether creating a memorable part of a temporary exhibition or taking advantage of high footfall, Chris uses examples from street food, festivals and popular pop-up catering.

2014: Busy on all Fronts and a Fond Farewell to Peter Smale who has now retired from the business after nineteen years and building up one of the UK’s most successful and highly regarded catering consultancies. His wise advice, integrity and wide-ranging client base will still be available to us.

The new EU allergen regulations come into force on 13 December, and every caterer (who sells food and drink) is gearing up to or have implemented the processes to meet the new legislation. However is this a case of more paperwork and another bureaucratic intervention, or an opportunity for smart operators?